Nwosu raises alarm over Super Eagles’ poor preparations for qualifiers

SUPER Eagles’ former captain, Henry Nwosu, has raised the alarm over the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) inability to name a substantive coach for the senior national team a few months to the 2017 African Nations Cup and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Nwosu, who said appointing a substantive coach would give the technical crew the opportunity to start grooming the team to a particular pattern, added that the delay in naming the Super Eagles’ coach could cost the nation dearly.

He told The Guardian yesterday that Nigeria did not have much time left before the qualifiers begin, and advised the NFF to settle its differences with Stephen Keshi if the federation had chosen the former Mali coach for the job.

The Golden Eaglets’ former coach also advised the NFF technical committee and the handlers of the national teams to ensure that more home-based players were given the opportunity to fight for shirts in the senior national team, arguing that it would ensure that only the best players available featured for the Eagles.

Nwosu also charged the football governing body to organize quality friendly games for the Eagles, especially with top South American and European teams, to test the ability of the new players in the team.

“The Super Eagles’ coaches need to focus more on making players play like a team instead of this continuous testing of players. The World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers will start soon and we don’t have a team yet. This is five months after our failure to qualify for the 2015 Nations Cup.

“I think revamping the Eagles should go alongside putting things in the right perspective. The NFF needs to give Keshi the power to start working with the players he wants or get any coach immediately. Time is running out,” he said.